Vulcanizet



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

HERBERT K. WHEELOCK, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 WESTERN VULCNIZER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A COPAR'INERSHIP *CONSISTING 0F HERBERT K.

WHEELOCIL FRANK A. WELLER, AYNID WA LTER 2R, FONTAINE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VULCANIZP Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1s, 1920.

Original application tiled November 30, `191'?, Serial No. 204,688. Divided and this application led Feb@ ruary'16,1920. Serial No. 359,085.

To all yw/tom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT K. VHEE- Loon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, Vin the county of Cook and State of` Illinois, have invented certain `new and useful Improvements in Vulcanizers, of

which the following is a specification. y

This invention relates\to improvements in vulcanizers of the type designed for use4 in repairing pneumatic tires; and resides in the provision' of apparatus of this character which is constructed and arranged sp as to prevent the formation ofmoldmarks or engage with the tire. Y

other objectionable irregularities at points on the tire where the ends of the vulcanizer his application constitutes 204,688, led Novem er 30, 1917.

I am aware of certain vulcanizers in which as above outlined, but in the majority of vulcanizers, the' curing of a Vtire in the repairing or' retreading thereof takes 'place up to the extreme ends of the mold, and in-Y ',asmuch as the tires are usually firmly 'c'lamped in the mold, the sharp edges of the mold form depressions or mold marks and render the finished tire unsightly in appearance, giving it an unmistakably secondhand appearance.

I aim to overcome the above noted objections, `and in carrying out my invention I provide separate end portions of non-heat conducting material for my mold, sothat little or no heat from the mold is transmitted to these end portions, and no vulcanizing or curing` action is therefore had with relation to the tire about those portions thereof which are engaged with said end portions.

A further object of the invention is to provide a vulcanizer having a removable matrix and provided with. removable end' portions or blocks of non-heat-conducting.Inaterial alining with ,the matrix and having facial formations corresponding to those of the matrix, so that a tire may be securely and evenly positioned within the mold of the vulcanizerandbe smoothly and neatly a, division of my coending aoplication Serial No. lmy invention, showinga matrix Within the being adapted to form a molded by said matrix throughout the entire portion thereof which is subjected to the molding action, this being accomplished by providing the nonvulcanizing end por 5 I the following specificatim` illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

` In the drawings zA Figure l 1s a side elevation and partial vvertical longitudinal section ofthe vulcanizing mold constructed in accordance with mold, and the end portions or\blocks of the nold having faces` of a formation corresponding to that of the matrix, thc matrix zigzag tread;

Fig. 2 is a plan of the apparatus shown in Fig. l, showing one end of the mold broken away and in section, the matrix be` ing ofa diii'e'rent form as compared to that of the matrix shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a `fragmentary vertical sectional view of a modified form of the invention.

Referring particularly to the drawings, 1 deslgnates as an entirety, a hollow vulcanizmg mold of arcuate formation, having the customary central tank portion 2 for supg plying steam, which, -as is well known, per

forms the vulcanizing or curing action.

" non-heat-conductin'g material, these blocks being'formed with a tire-receiving groove 95 5, which is adapted toregister with the groove 3 of the mold. These blocks 4 arcpreferably removably secured to the iends of the mold by bolts or screws 6, having their heads countersunk in the upperelids V of the blocks.

I. may interposeibetween;the'blocks j" y.,

the ends ot the molds, insulation sheets 7 ot asbestos or other hea-t-insulating,- material. These sheets 'Y provide a further means for retarding the transmission o heatrom the mold to-the blocks a, thus preventing the vulcanizing ot' the tire where it Contacts with the blocks and also assisting to prevent the Jormation of objectionable mold marks between the mold and the end blocks.

ln certain classes ot repair work, it is4 necessary to mold the repaired portion of the tire with special configurations. n this event7 a matrix 8 is mounted within the mold throughout the entire length thereof, andthe face ot' this matrix is liush with the tire-engaging?r faces of the blocks Li. This matrix 8 is removably disposed within the mold` and the faces of the blocks i are formed. with configurations 9, which correspond to those of the matrix ln repairing or vulcanizing a. new section ot' a tire with the apparatus hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings, the tire positioned in the ordinary manner b v damping within the mold, and during the vulcanizinothe matrix Savill mold the new portion ot the tread of the tire so as to correspond iii-appearance with the remaining' portion. thereof already vulcanized. lllhile the tire is bein;r cured, the tread thereoi will engage in the Configurations 9 oi the blocks 4, and it will be seen that the tire' will l be unilm'ni`l'57 molded as to its tread formation and will have the appearance, more or less, of a new tire, rather than show mold marks such as would. result from the use of the ordinar)1 apparatus, which would give the unmistalnible appearance oi' a secondhand or repaired tire.

The blocks 11 are iiireierably constructed of wood,` but may be otherwise some suitable material which is not subject to the ri-iadjyy retention and transmission of heat. Whatever pressure brought upon the tire so to cause the upper edges ofthe blocks to embed themselves in then rubber will not result, as in the ease with the ordinary vulcanizing mold, in the formation of a depression or mold mark in the finished tire, since in the vulcanizer orf my invention the blocks thei'nselves prevent the vulcanization ot these portions of the tire, and any mark formed by the upper edge of the end block is eliminated when the tire is .moved around in the mold for the vulcaniZa-tion of the next see-tion in the retreading operation. l

lt will be seen that l ma)T readily remove the matrix and. cooperating end blocks and replace them with a matrix and end blocks having), a. diilerent design.

In Fig. E l have illustrated slightly modiiiod form ot' the invention. The mold 16 is provided with an end block 1T removably lseeured to the mold, and the asbestos asses/ie sheet 1S may be interposed betweenv the mold 16 and the end block 1T if desired. n this 'form or' end block 17, the body thereof is or non-'heat-eonductingr material 19, sueh as wood, and is incased in a metal casing 20. Thisnasing 2() is preferably made open on its lower side, but may be otherwise constructed it s o desired. The open side of the easing 2O is opposed to the end ot the mold 1 5. The transmission of heat is materially retarded by the presence .of the nonheat-conducting material 19 Within the easing '20, and also bythe asbestos sheet 18.

With reference to the foregoing description and accompanying drawings, it Will be seen that l have provided an improved vuleanizer of a simple and inexpensive construction, and which will permit of the repair oit pneumatic tires in a neat, expeditious and reliable manner.

lt will be understood that various minor changes in details of construetion, and as to the size, shape and proportion Iof parts or' the machine, may quired without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined.

in my ro-pending application Serial No. 204,688. filed November B0, 1917, I have claimed my invention broadly and also specitically with relation to certain embodiments there illustrated.

'In this application l eiaiin other specific embodiments of my invention as illustrated in the acoompanyirm drawings.

1; A device ol the character specied, comprising,r a mold Casing shaped to fit a pneumatic tire, means for supplying steam to be resorted to when re# the casing. a. removable matrix adapted tobe arranged between the tire and the casing, means tor rlan'iping the easing' on a tire, and cooling blocks o-,t non-heat-conducting material at the ends ot the casing and engagging the tire'. i

2. iti vuleanizer, comprising a mold havan arcuate tire-receivinn` groove therein, and a block of non-metallic material secured to one end of the mold and being formed with a groove which is flush with the tire-receiving groove.

3. A vulcanizer, comprising a mold havingr an. arcuate tire-receiving groove therein and rum-metallicv members -mounted upon the ends of the mold whicl'i are ush with the tire-receiving groove in said mold.

L A vuloanizer, comprising a mold having a tire-receivinnr vgroove therein, and blocks ot non-metallic material abutting the extremities ot said mold and havingtirereceivingr grooves therein adapted to'register with the groove in said mold in flush relation to said mold groove. i

5. A vuieanizer, comprising a mold havingr a tire-receiving groove therein, a block ot non-heat-eonducting material removabl secured io the end of said mold and having Wooden block removably secured to 'the @mi a tiro-receiving groove therein adapted to of said mold and hzwing a tiremeooiving register with the groove in said mold, and groove thei'oin adapmd to register with tho '3. o4 a strip of insulating material between' said groove in said moic. ,5 block and the end of said mold. Signed at Chicago, liinois, his 12M@ do;

6. A vulcanizei, comprising a mold hawof February, 1920. ing a tire-receiving groove therein, and. a, HERBERT l VJHLELC. 

